At the end of the 1950s, industrial robots were first put into use.Joseph Engelberg (Joseph F.Englberg) Using the inspiration of the servo system, and GeorgeDevol (GeorgeDevol) jointly developed an industrial robot-“Unimate” (Unimate), which was the first to be used in the production workshop of General Motors in 1961.The original industrial robot structure was relatively simple, and the completed function was to pick up auto parts and place them on the conveyor belt. It did not have the ability to interact with other operating environments, so it followed a predetermined basic procedure to accurately complete the same repetitive action.Although the application of ”Unimet" is a simple and repetitive operation, it shows the bright prospects of industrial mechanization and also opens the prelude to the vigorous development of industrial robots.Since then, in the field of industrial production, many heavy, repetitive or meaningless process tasks can be completed by industrial robots instead of humans. 

In the 1960s, the development of industrial robots ushered in the dawn period, and the simple functions of robots were further developed.The application of robot sensors has improved the operability of robots, including the tactile sensors used by Ernst; Tomovic and Boni used pressure sensors on the world's earliest “dexterous hands”; McCarthy improved the robot, added a vision sensor system, and helped MIT launch the world's first robot system with a vision sensor that can recognize and locate building blocks.In addition, using sonar systems, photocells and other technologies, industrial robots can correct their exact location through environmental recognition.

Since the mid-1960s, robotics laboratories have been established at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom.The United States has begun to study the second generation of “sensory” robots with sensors, and is moving towards artificial intelligence.

In the 1970s, with the development of computer and artificial intelligence technology, robots entered the era of practicality.Robots with tactile and pressure sensors and 7-axis AC motors like those launched by Hitachi; the world's first small computer-controlled robot launched by Milacron in the United States, driven by electro-hydraulic servo, can track moving objects for assembly and multi-function operations; robots suitable for assembly operations include SCARA planar joint robots invented by Yamanashi University in Japan.

At the end of the 1970s, the PUMA series of robots launched by Unimation in the United States were controlled by a multi-joint, multi-CPU secondary computer, all-electric, with dedicated VAL language and vision and force perception sensors, which marked that industrial robotics technology has fully matured.PUMA still works on the front line of the factory.

In the 1980s, robots entered a period of popularization. With the development of manufacturing, industrial robots have become popular in developed countries, and they have developed into high-speed, high-precision, lightweight, complete sets of serialization and intelligence to meet the needs of multiple varieties and small batches.

By the 1990s, with the progress and development of computer technology and intelligent technology, the second generation of robots with certain sensory functions had been practical and began to be popularized, and the third generation of intelligent robots with vision, touch, high dexterity, and walking appeared one after another and began to be applied.

In 2020, the operating income of China's robot industry exceeded 100 billion yuan for the first time.During the ”13th Five-Year Plan" period, the output of industrial robots increased from 72,000 sets to 212,000 sets, an average annual increase of 31%.From the perspective of technology and products, key technologies and components such as precision reducers, high-performance servo drive systems, intelligent controllers, and intelligent integrated joints have accelerated breakthroughs and innovative achievements have emerged. The performance of the whole machine has been greatly improved, the functions have become richer, and the product quality has been optimized day by day.Industry applications are also expanding in depth.For example, industrial robots have been widely used in 52 industries and 143 industries such as automobiles, electronics, metallurgy, light industry, petrochemical, and medicine.

In 2022, Jiateng Robot launched the first differential 20-ton AGV drive unit in China. The drive unit adopts a differential heavy-duty power module and a control strategy to enhance the practicality and durability of the product.It is reported that heavy-duty AGV can be used in aerospace, high-pressure containers, large-scale infrastructure projects, modular construction projects and other industries.